Purpose of the CRPD

The purpose of the CRPD under Article 1 is to:

‘promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity’.

Article 1 makes clear that persons with disabilities are entitled to the same human rights as all other persons. The CRPD does not aim to create new rights; rather, it seeks to apply the existing human rights law framework to the context of disability. In this sense, it provides guidance to States on how human rights law should apply to the lives of persons with disabilities.